The Boy Who Dared

“Helmuth feels electric with excitement, too. Someday he will fight for the Fatherland. He can feel it, knows in his heart that it’s true.”

The Nazi soldiers impress Helmuth and make him feel patriotic; he wants to grow up to be like them. This quote is ironic: while Helmuth is correct that he “will fight for the Fatherland,” it will not be as a Nazi soldier. Helmuth will fight for his country by going against the Nazis with his pamphlet campaign.

“Nation. Christianity. Morality. Family. Helmuth knows these things are very important.”

Hitler is able to gain people’s support by appealing to these four concepts. “Nation,” “Christianity,” “morality,” and “family” are broad concepts with near-universal appeal. As a young boy, Helmuth does not question Hitler’s speech. However, Helmuth will soon see how Hitler negatively impacts all four of these concepts.

“The police must be off to arrest Communists, Helmuth assures himself. That’s good. Jail is a good place for people who want to destroy the government.”

Here we see irony and foreshadowing. Helmuth ironically agrees that those who go against the government should go to jail, not yet realizing that people—like his future self—sometimes fight against the government for a good reason. This foreshadows his future arrest and imprisonment.

“‘Breaking the law is serious. But God gave us free agency,’ says Gerhard. ‘That means we have the right to choose our own actions. If you choose to break the law to help someone else or keep someone from harm, then it’s justified.’”

This foreshadows Helmuth's pamphlet campaign; he will feel justified because it breaks the law to help others learn the truth. Helmuth values his faith and God-given free will more than Hitler’s law.

“‘Breaking the law is serious. But God gave us free agency,’ says Gerhard. ‘That means we have the right to choose our own actions. If you choose to break the law to help someone else or keep someone from harm, then it’s justified.’”

This foreshadows Helmuth's pamphlet campaign; he will feel justified because it breaks the law to help others learn the truth. Helmuth values his faith and God-given free will more than Hitler’s law.

“He feels something. His chest swells. A warm calmness fills him. God is listening, of this Helmuth is sure. He squeezes his eyes tighter, repeats the last words, chants them fervently, asThouwiltasThouwiltasThouwilt, until they wrap around him and the floating feeling comes.”

As Helmuth awaits his execution, he still has strong faith in God. He does not pray for God to save his life, but for God’s will to be done. This demonstrates Helmuth’s trust in God’s plan and emphasizes the role of Helmuth’s faith in his life. Floating symbolizes the peace and closeness to God that he feels despite his impending death.

“You have completely failed to understand a soldier’s duty! The greatest honor for any soldier is to die for his country rather than to let the flag fall. For the flag represents the Fatherland—and if the flag falls, Germany falls!”

The motif of flags show how Helmuth has begun to think outside of the Nazi’s nationalistic rhetoric. His teacher argues that the flag, either literally or metaphorically representing the nation, is more important than an individual’s life. Helmuth believes that a person is worth more to the country when they are actively serving it, reflecting the novel’s theme that individuals are valuable.

“He stares at the handwritten pages and feels worse than a coward. He feels like a traitor, a traitor to his brother but mostly a traitor to himself. A traitor to his true feelings.”

This quote questions what a traitor really is. Helmuth feels like a traitor for writing a pro-Nazi essay even though he is following the teacher's expectations and being a "good" German. When he resists the Nazi laws in the future, becoming a traitor to the government, he is no longer betraying himself.

“Helmuth’s insides tighten at hearing this. He realizes something that frightens him: Inspector Becker seems to have already found Franz Seemann guilty.”

Helmuth learns a valuable lesson. He tried to do something good by helping the police solve a crime, but in his boyish fascination with detective novels he didn’t anticipate the consequences of his actions. He also learns that the Nazis are willing to punish a person without evidence of a crime and are more malicious than he previously knew.

“The radio is on, has been on for two days, so Hugo can listen and sputter and shout about the news.”

This shows how the media and propaganda are powerful. Hugo listens to the RRG constantly, which adds to and reinforces his views. Hugo's anger and emotional investment in the news deepens Helmuth's dislike and disapproval of Hugo and the Nazis.

“They stand proudly as if their uniforms make them something.” 

 Uniforms mirror the Nazis’ self-promotion and extreme nationalism. Helmuth was once impressed by their uniforms, but he now sees the way they make the Nazis feel self-important. He knows that the regime use their uniforms as an excuse to bully others. He rejects their view of themselves and does not see their behavior as “something” they should be proud of.

 “Silence is how people get on sometimes. I don’t expect you to understand.”

Mutti believes that it is easier to survive by remaining silent about things that are wrong. This philosophy applies to her relationship with Hugo as well as her attitude about Hitler. Mutti shares this sentiment with many Germans. This silence is detrimental as it allows the Nazis to do increasingly evil deeds.

“Outside a pub, several drunken storm troopers sit in soot-covered uniforms, singing about the greatness of Germany. Helmuth catches the sour smell of beer, and it sickens him. He turns, catches his reflection in the window, loathes the silent German who stares back at him.” 

Helmuth observes the ironic spectacle of soldiers “singing about the greatness of Germany” when they are dirty, drunk, and have just spent the night inciting violence against Jewish people. Helmuth does not think that Germany is great, and he includes himself in that low estimation. He hates the loud and violent soldiers, but he equally hates himself for being silent. This builds on the idea that silence is dangerous; Helmuth has not actively hurt people, but he sees himself as guilty like the soldiers.

“A sparrow flits by. Nearly tempts him to the window, but he stops himself. Wants to save the best part of the afternoon for later.”

The sparrow foreshadows Helmuth’s death later in the day. Mutti once told him that sparrows take souls to heaven. Helmuth now sees a sparrow, symbolizing the journey he is about to take.

“By law, Helmuth is supposed to destroy the leaflet, but doesn’t, not right away. How can he be expected to obey a law that feels so wrong? To obey a leader who strips away one freedom after another?”

Helmuth stares at “enemy propaganda.” This foreshadows Helmuth’s own leaflet campaign. Helmuth feels that he can no longer follow Hitler’s laws and will soon go beyond reading an illegal pamphlet to actually writing many of his own. His willingness to read the material implies that his pamphlets will be read by other Germans dissatisfied with Hitler, even if Helmuth never witnesses it.

“Without another word to Helmuth, Mutti straightens her skirt, links her arm in Hugo’s, and leaves. Helmuth looks away as the darkness spreads inside him. His mother no longer belongs to him. Mutti belongs to Hugo.”

Mutti has chosen to side with Hugo over her sons, which is difficult for Helmuth. He now lacks his mother's comfort and guidance. In marrying Hugo and remaining silent about his behavior, Mutti has become fully accepting of the Nazis. Helmuth's loss of Mutti contributes to his drive to fight against complacency.

“The blare of trumpets and the rat-a-tat of snare drums surround them. Helmuth hates the drums, hates how they quicken his blood, how they belie his true feelings and try to convince him that war is good.”

This is in direct contrast to the novel’s beginning where Helmuth is inspired by the Nazi parade. He now knows better than to be swayed by the music's influence. However, it still "quicken[s] his blood" because it is intentionally composed to inspire listeners. This shows how easy it is for the Nazis to influence people; even Helmuth who rejects Hitler feels himself being falsely overcome with pro-war sentiment.

 “Helmuth sits, closes his eyes. Takes a deep breath. Feels a warm calm fill him, and suddenly knows. He opens his eyes. ‘Geist und Tat,’ he says. Spirit and Action. That’s what Helmuth wants.”

Heinrich Mann’s book Geist und Tat heavily influences Helmuth. Helmuth takes his motivation from the book’s title. He values spirit, which refers both to God’s will and the selfless spirit Helmuth wants to have. He additionally values action, which is the opposite of the silent inaction he and other Germans have been practicing.

“His head throbs with sorrow and anger and disgust. It’s just as Heinrich Mann said, no one is willing to go against the current, to take a stand. Life is too short to think about others.”

Reading Mann’s book shows Helmuth that people are not silent about bad things solely out of ignorance; people choose to be silent because it is easier. People value their own lives over the lives of others, and Helmuth does not want to live that way. At this point in the novel, Helmuth feels overcome; he knows that he needs to “go against the current,” but does not know how. He feels alone, as if he is the only one who wants to do something, and depressed because he too is doing nothing.

“His own heart pounds each time he listens to the BBC. It is every good German’s duty to report enemy propaganda to the Gestapo, to turn in anyone suspected of listening to or reading enemy propaganda. Helmuth tries not to think about the danger.”

This passage reminds the reader that although Helmuth is brave and firm in his beliefs, he does feel fear, and knows the risk of his behavior. Following Mann’s advice, he chooses to risk his life. His fear makes his actions more impressive: if he lacked fear, his risk would entail no sacrifice.

“At work, at home, Helmuth is a good Nazi—smooth and unruffled on the surface but paddling furiously beneath.”

Helmuth is forced to live a double life where he presents himself as an obedient citizen during the day yet distributes his pamphlets in the dark. This quote shows the emotional state that Helmuth is in. He is trying to stay afloat and not drown from the stress. He is also “paddling furiously” with fervor for his cause and the excitement he shares with Rudi and Karl over disobeying Hitler.

“The Nazis can’t get away with these things. The world has gone mad! It’s time to think bigger, to escalate the pamphlet campaign, to enlarge his circle so that more Germans learn the truth. There’s no time to lose. What will the Nazis do next if no one stops them now?”

After Helmuth sees the torture Brother Worbs went through, he reaches a turning point. Earlier he had been exceedingly careful about his activities; now he dispenses with caution and decides to include others in his campaign. This illustrates Helmuth’s mounting desperation to take down the Nazis. It also marks the beginning of the end for Helmuth; his hasty attempt to include coworkers is what leads to his arrest and execution.

“Herr Mohns stands in the doorway, looking gleeful. Helmuth understands the look. Herr Mohns is a man who has done his duty.”

Herr Mohns represents the type of German who assists the Nazis with evil deeds because they believe it is right. This shows how Hitler convinced the Germans it is good and honorable to betray friends and neighbors. Herr Mohns is not gleeful because he is evil and wants Helmuth to die, but because he believes that he has made Germany a better place by turning Helmuth in. 

“Helmuth does not believe he was foolish. He did not risk his life in vain. God can bring good out of evil, but God can’t do it alone. God needs people. People who will stand up. People who will dare to speak out.”

This reflects the novel’s belief that individuals are valuable. Helmuth believes that God may be in control, but that God needs people on earth to do His will. Helmuth believes that he acted as a tool for God, and therefore does not regret his actions, even though they led to his death sentence. Helmuth maintains his belief, formed in the classroom years earlier, that individuals are worth more than a flag or vague concept of nation.